London Borough of Islington (26 011 416)
Category : Housing > Managing council tenancies
Decision : Closed after initial enquiries
Decision date : 28 Jul 2026
The Ombudsman's final decision:
Summary: We cannot investigate this complaint about how the Council dealt with X’s housing concerns and requests for a transfer. This is because X is a Council tenant and we have no power to investigate complaints about the Council acting in its capacity as social landlord.
The complaint
- X complains about issues they have faced in their council property. X say they have received threats from their neighbours and wants to be rehoused. X also complains that the Council’s mental health team have inappropriately referred them to a mental health service.
The Ombudsman’s role and powers
- We cannot investigate complaints about the provision or management of social housing by a council acting as a registered social housing provider. (Local Government Act 1974, paragraph 5A schedule 5, as amended)
- The law says we cannot normally investigate a complaint unless we are satisfied the organisation knows about the complaint and has had an opportunity to investigate and reply. However, we may decide to investigate if we consider it would be unreasonable to notify the organisation of the complaint and give it an opportunity to investigate and reply. (Local Government Act 1974, section 26(5), section 34(B)6)
How I considered this complaint
- I considered information provided by the complainant.
- I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.
My assessment
- I cannot investigate X’s complaint because they are a Council tenant. The issues he has raised in his complaint to the Council concern their role as a social housing landlord which prevents us from investigating them. If X wants to pursue these matters further they may wish to make a complaint to the Housing Ombudsman.
- X also complains about the Council’s decision to refer them to mental health services. We will not investigate this element of X’s complaint because he would first need to address this though the Council’s complaints process.
Final decision
- We will not investigate X’s complaint because we have no power to investigate complaints about the Council acting in its capacity as social landlord.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman